City offers a variety of free summer school programs

Linda Conner Lambeck

Updated 6:05 pm, Saturday, June 22, 2013

Students in Evelyn Maru's eighth grade summer school class study reading last July at Cesar Batalla School in Bridgeport.Last year, a quickly cobbled-together summer school program intended to help 5,000 city students keep their brains churning through the month of July attracted only about half that number. This summer will be different, Schools Superintendent Paul Vallas has vowed.
Photo: Autumn Driscoll

BRIDGEPORT -- Last year, a quickly cobbled-together summer school program intended to help 5,000 city students keep their brains churning through the month of July attracted only about half that number.

This summer will be different, Schools Superintendent Paul Vallas has vowed.

"We've been talking it up for a while and got communication out much earlier," said Vallas. "We are confident more will attend."

The district will offer 10 summer programs, most of them free.

The programs include Early Learning Success, for 1,400 students in kindergarten through third grade, and a math and reading program for up to 1,000 sixth-graders.

Students in need of extra help are being invited to the program.

Some 1,000 rising ninth-graders are being invited to attend a monthlong Bridge to High School program, which will start at Housatonic Community College, then continue at individual high schools.

For high school students, there will be a ninth-grade academy for those who failed one or more courses during the school year and a credit recovery program for grades 10 to 12.

There also are programs for incoming kindergarten students, those receiving special education and a summer music program at Roosevelt School.

Collectively, the programs will cost the district about $900,000, and half will come from grants.

Amy Marshal, chief academic officer for the school district, said the response from parents has been good.

"Already both our kindergarten sites are filled," she said.

The programs may be more attractive this year because they will be longer -- 88 hours instead of 44 -- and in the case of incoming freshm-n, may lead to early high school credits.

The district can't mandate summer school, but Vallas said the program strategically targeted "gateway" grades -- three, six and nine -- and students who are not performing at grade level.

"Even if students are not failing, if there is room for them, they are welcome. This will give them a summer refresher and keep them active," he said. "We want to fill all of the seats."

Fourth- and fifth-graders are not included in the model, but can continue to access the city's Lighthouse summer program.